Letters to the Editor March 2, 2013

Del Norte Triplicate Readers

Published Mar 4, 2013 at 04:56PM / Updated Feb 13, 2016 at 06:24PM

Reflection on Board vote to support 2nd Amedment

Tuesday's meeting of the Board of Supervisors featuring Supervisor Roger Gitlin's Resolution No. 2013, the solicitation of official Del Norte County support for the 2nd Amendment, evoked memories of recent local "Save Our Hospital" rallies wherein local citizens have rallied in large numbers to a perceived threat to a highly valued aspect of our community consciousness.

Attendance was standing-room-only as speakers queued up to the podium to share their impassioned support of the resolution to preserve our rights to bear arms, as propounded by the 2nd Amendment.

The lone dissenter questioned the necessity and advisability of the resolution by poking Mr. Gitlin in the eye with his implied suggestion that it was conceived as a political tool to be used against any of Supervisor Gitlin's opponents, whomever that might be. That implication in itself, relying as it does solely on conjecture and convoluted logic, seems to me to be an attempt to blunt the effect of the resolution and an affront to Supervisor Gitlin.

Supervisor Martha McClure's admission of being a member of the American gun culture by stating she has the dreaded G-things herself is somewhat akin to Sen. Feinstein's recent admission to having possessed a CWC at one time herself. That seems a frail effort to present a much broader view than us ordinary gun-toters in that they have a broader perspective of it all by at once being one of us while owning the broader view of seeing the need for ever- tighter controls.

Supervisor McClure's wriggling out of the position of simply taking a forthright position of support for the 2nd Amendment by claiming such action constitutes "cherry-picking" the amendments is paper thin and her position on the fence advisedly unstable; remember Humpty Dumpty sat atop a wall.

For a public official to make a statement that consideration of a singular amendment to the Constitution constitutes "cherry-picking" and causes her dismay is absurd.

This entire Theatre of The Macabre, stemming from the agenda of the gun-grabbers to strip American citizens of arms, is focused on a single amendment - does she not consider that "cherry-picking" as well?

Supervisor David Finigan's roll call vote should have been deemed unacceptable as mumbled and the clerk should have called for clarification as per the official response: aye (yes), noe (no) or abstain. His response came across as insincere and begrudging.

Dale L. Bohling, Crescent City

Clarifications on prospect of civil war in America

In response to Mr Vance's sarcastic remarks about the people of this country ("Patriots to fend off military when Obama orders attack," Feb. 28), I would like to point out some things. I can think of atleasttwo countries that have fought the USA to a basic standstill against our "Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines," Afghanistan and North Vietnam. Both of those countries have used or are using outdated weaponry to at least keep us from actually "winning" the war.

Socouldthe good people of the USA do the same against their own military? I think its highly likely. But I also don't think our military would actually turn on us. Though I could be wrong about that.

Then there is the story of the American Revolution. We fought, and won, against the most organized military in the world and we were a very rag-tag bunch at the time. They had much superior weapons and yet we still beat them.

I would also point out that nobody in the Tuesday supervisors meeting said the government had become tyrannical or had run amok, but the 2nd Amendment was drafted partly for that reason. Its not about hunting.

As for Mr Obama's "secret plan to destroy America" referred to in the letter, I personally don't think it's a secret but that's for another discussion.

Some people will say the "right to keep and bear arms" isonlyfor the "militia." I defy anyone to find a single instance where our founders said that in any of their correspondence or writings of any kind. In fact there are a couple of quotes from them that stick out in my mind:

1) "A militia, when properly formed, are in fact the people themselves ... and include all men capable of bearing arms," Richard Henry Lee.

An unarmed society is easier to control than an armed one. And I speak of law-abiding citizens. This has been known by many past dictators too.

I have therightto "keep and bear arms." If you are unfamiliar with what that means, I suggest you look up the words "right," "keep," "bear" and "arms." You might be surprised what they mean.

William Clawson, Crescent City

Sutter an example of why health care is overpriced

As an ex Del Norter (class of 1947) I still keep in touch with what is happening in the county. I still have relatives living there.

I have been keeping up with the hospital mess that is happening and it disgusts me when I see corporations like Sutter Health (in its greed) want to regionalize the hospital. It cannot be because it is not making a huge profit as in 2011 when its CEO was paid $5,241,305. Time magazine (March 4) ran an investigative article titled "Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us." On page 49 under the heading "Too Much Health Care" at the end of the first paragraph Sutter Health is mentioned.

I hope you fight hard to keep your hospital.

Darrel Dixon, Albany, Ore.

Supervisor Finigan ought to show more enthusiasm

Supervisor David Finigan displayed disrespect with his response on voting for the Second Amendment resolution at the Board of Supervisors meeting.

I was in attendance at the standing-room-only Board of Supervisors meeting last Tuesday when Supervisor Roger Gitlin introduced a resolution in supporting the Second Amendment and my right to protect myself with a firearm. Thank you, Supervisor Gitlin for standing up for my rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment.

What is the matter with Supervisor Finigan? He seemed bored and uninterested with the whole process in the debate and when he was asked to vote, he responded with, "Sure."

That is disrespectful and Supervisor Finigan ought to smarten up and show appropriate respect for the Constitution. After all, he did take an oath to uphold it.